FFEMax Blog

With spring in the air, it’s time to shake off the yoke of that oh-so-delicious/oh-so-bad-for-you comfort food that keeps us functioning during the winter months and whip up something healthy and exotic on your cooktop. With that in mind, here’s an awesome chicken vindaloo recipe to put a dash of spice in your dining room.

You’ll need:

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 1 tablespoon coriander seed

• 1 teaspoon cumin seed

• 2 teaspoons mustard seed

• 10 dry red chili peppers

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 5 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 stick cinnamon

• 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger

• 1 tablespoon paprika

• 2 teaspoons corn syrup

• 1 cup water

• Salt (to taste)

If you don’t have access to fresh cumin, mustard, ginger or coriander, it’s okay to opt for preserved, pre-packaged substitutes – you’ll just have to use a bit less of each, depending on your preference.

1. Start off by cubing the chicken, then put it off to the side in a refrigerator-safe container. Combine the peppers with your cumin, coriander and mustard and grind them with a mortar and pestle (if you have one) or a coffee mill (that you won’t be making coffee in!).

2. Add in the turmeric, garlic and vinegar, and give the whole thing a good mix. Pour the wet mixture over the chicken cubes, then cover and refrigerate overnight. This will let the chicken marinate in the wet mixture and soak up the flavors.

3. When you’re ready to cook, grab a large pan (preferably cast-iron) and add the olive oil (for a more exotic flavor, try another type of oil, like sesame, but be sure to change your cooking temperature accordingly). Heat the oil on medium/high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the cinnamon, onion, and ginger, leaving the pan to cook for five minutes. If you have an electric cooktop, it’s ideal for a recipe like this. You can leave the pan unattended without worrying about managing the heat or keeping an eye on an open flame.

4. Drain the chicken and toss it into the oil, cooking it until it develops a light sear. Then add in the paprika, syrup, water and salt and bring the pan’s contents to a boil. Simmer for 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is tender.

5. When finished cooking, let the dish rest for a few minutes, and then serve with jasmine rice or couscous. This recipe should serve four people, or two extremely hungry ones!

I got this recipe from a little bed and breakfast on the east coast, and did some tweaking to make it my own. Every Christmas morning, I make this for the family, and everybody raves about it. And when I’m up late entertaining out-of-town guests, I prepare this the night before, toss it into the oven when I wake up, and look like a rock star (except domesticated) when they wake up craving breakfast.

Try it out and let me know what you think:

You’ll need:

• 2 pounds bulk sausage
• 1 loaf artisan bread, sliced
• butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
• 8 eggs
• 1 quart half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons salt

First, in an iron skillet, brown the sausage and then drain it using paper towels.

Take about six slices of bread and layer them onto a buttered 9×13 baking pan, buttered side down.

Add a layer of the browned sausage, and then top with a layer of both cheeses, mixed together.

Place another layer of bread on top of the cheese, this time buttered side up.

Combine milk, eggs and salt. Add other spices to taste. Mustard seed gives this recipe a nice kick.

Add your wet ingredients to the dry ones in the baking pan. Cover the pan and refrigerate it overnight. Letting it get sufficient rest is important, so don’t just go ahead and pop it in the oven – gas or electric kitchen ranges are are fine (no need to be picky).

When you’re ready to heat it up, bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and rest for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Serve with OJ and – if you don’t have enough starch – some home fries for a truly epic breakfast.

Decades of travel and dozens of hotel stays have taught me one indelible lesson: whether it’s a spartan roadside motel or a high-class resort that ferries guests around by gondola, it’s the basic amenities that make or break a guest’s hotel experience. Usually the breaks are caused by minor tweaks that can be easily avoided:

• Cleanliness – Even the fanciest room can make me afraid to bust out an ultraviolet light in the room if it’s not well-maintained. Conversely, a small, no-frills room can be plenty homey if it’s taken care of.

• Continental Breakfast – Don’t even bother advertising a continental breakfast if you’re going to put out an anemic spread that nobody wants to look at, let alone eat. Day-old danishes, a Rube Goldberg contraption full of Corn Flakes and off-brand froot-loop-alike cereal, child-size cups of yogurt and fruit that’s been left out just an hour or two too long are not going to win a discerning traveler over, even if they are getting for free.

• Ice Machines – I can’t think of a good excuse for a decent hotel to continue to use one of those old, robot-from-Forbidden-Planet-looking ice machines. They’re noisy enough to keep guests up at night if they’re roomed close enough to the monstrosities, they’re bulky and unattractive, and they’re horrible energy hogs. And yet, I still see the antiquated obelisks jutting up in stairwells all over the country. FFEMAX’s selection of Scotsman ice machines meets the new FEMP energy efficiency guidelines and offers a sleek look without sacrificing capacity.

• Friendly Staff – I remember staying on Cape Cod and having the plumbing in my room malfunction. These things happen, and they’re often not anybody’s fault, but the manager didn’t apologize or offer to move to another room. The hotel was clean and modern and had a great location, but I’ll never stay there again. Even when tragedy doesn’t strike, a smile or helpful tip from the front desk staff can make a huge difference in the quality of a stay. Remember, a hotel’s staff is a key link between out-of-town guests and the community, and guests won’t know the best places to eat, shop or see the sights without their help.

• News access – Even on the road, travelers like to feel connected. Complimentary newspapers and magazines or a TV tuned to a national news channel in the lobby are great way to make guests comfortable and keep them in touch with what’s going on in the world.

With temperatures already inching up into the 80s and beyond, it’s time to start thinking about dragging the air conditioner out of the attic and keeping the house cool. At the same time, energy prices (and, well, prices for everything) keep going up, too. But don’t fret; there are a few easy-to-implement tips that can keep you cool while making your energy bill no sweat.

• Turn up the heat. The temptation to set your thermostat at 60 and forget it is powerful, but consider exerting a bit more of the ‘control’ part in ‘climate control’. The optimum temp for your house should be around 78 degrees – every degree below that adds another 3-4% to the total energy cost for your home.

• Consider the size of your rooms before splurging on a huge air conditioner. Any additional cooling that a large window unit might grant you is going to be wasted on a small room.

• Turn off the AC when you’re not home. Leaving your AC on during the day to save energy is a myth and will actually end up costing your more.

• Consider replacing old window units. The efficiency of today’s window units is exponentially better than the models available fifteen years ago. It may be worth upgrading to save money in the long run. LG air conditioners and other models have the Energy Star logo to let you know they’re energy-friendly.

This summer, stay cool whenever possible. Even if you don’t have an AC unit, ceiling fans and box fans can go a long way toward controlling the temperature in your home.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been experimenting.

Relax, it’s neither as racy nor as diabolical as it sounds.

I’m talking about cooking using the microwave. Being an inveterate foodie, I’ve always preferred to cook instead of nuke, and for small things like the occasional frozen pizza or pot pie, I still rely on the toaster oven to do the job. It may look as hip and cool as the rest of our stainless steel appliances, but our over the range microwave oven is strictly the province of leftovers and Hot Pockets.

Anyway, I’ve been cooking for one more and more frequently, and have just decided to make single servings and prepare them in the microwave, rather than making more leftovers that will invariably not get eaten.

What I’ve discovered is that some of my fears about microwave cooking – that the results would be soggy and flavorless – are unfounded. On the contrary, once I figured out the proper timing and a few other tricks – like tracking down a microwave-safe browning grill for meat – my results were nearly identical to a stove-cooked meal. I could even argue that I’m eating healthier, if only because boiled or steamed foods retain more nutrients when they’re microwaved.

What surprises me most is the variety of recipes I can make. A quick Google search nets a microwave-friendly recipe for everything from Chicken Parmesan to cake. I’ve actually found that I’m cooking a wider variety of dishes, and my wife isn’t angry about leftovers (because there aren’t any). So I’m considering this experiment a success.

Gas cooktops are great for lightly grilling dishes like chicken inside your home. The new models, like Maytag Gas Cooktops, are extremely easy to clean and include sealed gas burners to eliminate the chance of spills. Here are some easy recipes, courtesy of BetterRecipes.com, for your gas cooktop to make you go mmm…

Honey, I Want Mustard with My Grilled Chicken
If you love honey mustard, you’re going to love this recipe! Plus, you’ll be mixing your own honey mustard, so be sure to name this dish after yourself!

Ingredients:

½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup honey
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 cup of mayonnaise
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Prepare:
Mix the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a bow. Place your chicken breasts in a ziplock bag and pour the mixture over the chicken. Save about ½ a cup of the mixture. Allow the chicken to marinate in the bag for a few hours. Take the chicken out and grill it on your gas cooktop for about 10 minutes on each side. When you’re finished, use a grill brush to sweep the remaining honey mustard over the chicken. Bon appetite!

Oh-So-Sweet Salmon
Imagine lightly grilled salmon fillets with a brown sugar and teriyaki glaze. If this sounds like a delight, our Oh-So-Sweet Salmon is the recipe for you!

Ingredients:

3 salmon fillets (serves 6 people)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
1 clove of minced garlic

Prepare:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, and add the teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, and garlic to it. Cook it on medium until the liquid becomes more of a glaze consistency. Place the salmon fillets skin side down on the grill on medium. Sweep the glaze over the salmon as it cooks. The salmon is finished when it easily flakes with a fork. Feel free to use the remaining glaze as a dip for the salmon. Mmm!

Hot Hot Hot Pork Tenderloins
Are you a spicy food lover? If yes, you’re going to love our Hot Hot Hot Pork Tenderloins. They combine the right amount of flavor with the perfect degree of spice!

Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins (serves 6-8 people)

Spice Mixture:
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes

Prepare:
Combine the ingredients for your spice mixture. It’ll make about ½ cup. Rub about 2 tablespoons of the mixture over each pork tenderloin. Then, grill the pork tenderloins on medium for about 20 to 30 minutes. Be sure to turn them every so often. That’s some flavor!

Even the best recipe will only be as good as the cooktop it’s prepared on. At Ffemax.com, we carry low price Gas Cooktops to give you high quality cooktops for all your favorite dishes. Enjoy!